Support for neon signs



July 19, 1932. I ETAL 1,867,836

SUPPORT FOR NEON SIGNS Filed June 26. 1931 Inventor C. W .Oto whwit dijmAltomqys Patented July 19, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BALIH G.HYDE AND JOHN '1. NORT'HCOTT, 013' .1108 AN GELES, AND ELLIS O.ERIGKSON, OF ALTADENA, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNORS TO CLAUDE NEON ELECTRICALPRODUCTS CORPORATION, LTD., 013 WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, A CORPORATION OFDELAWARE SUPPORT FOR NEON SIGNS Application filed June 26, 1931. SerialNo. 547,034.

Our invention relates to supports for neon signs and has particularreference to supporting devices employed in connection with raisedletters supported from a background in which a tubular lamp is to beemployed for illuminating the surface of the letter.

In the construction of neon signs employing a background member and araised letter or character supported in spaced relation from thebackground, it has been the practice to provide supports for the letterswhich required the mechanic or assembler to have access to the rear ofthe background of the member in order to secure the support thereto;which in the event the background was to be enclosed required unsightlyopenings in the base of the background member to permit access to therear thereof.

It is, therefore, an object of our invention to provide a support forsuch raised letter sign which is entirely accessible from the front ofthe sign.

Another object of our invention is to provide a support for a raisedletter or character in which a single supporting member may be employedboth for supporting the letter and for engaging and holding a tubularlamp with which the letter is associated.

Other objects of our invention will be apparent from a study of thefollowing specifications, read in connection with the accompanyingdrawing, wherein 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a signconstructed in accordance with our invention;

Fig. 2 is an end elevational view of the sign shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the sign shown in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view taken along line IV1V, Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawing, we have illustrated in Fig. 1 a signconstruction comprising a background member 1 which may be constructedof wood, metal or other similar material having sufficient rigidity tosupport the sign indicia carried thereby. In the embodiment of ourinvention shown, the sign indicia comprises raised letters or characters2 represented as being cut from a flat plate of metal in theconfiguration of the particular data or character, or combinationthereof, which may be desired. Such letter is illustrated in the coending application of John T. Northcott, erial No. 520,852, filed March7, 1931.

For the purpose of illuminating the sign, a source of. illumination,such as a tubular lamp 3 of the neon or gaseous discharge type, is bentinto the configuration corresponding to the letter or charactercomprising the sign indicia and is secured in front of and in spacedrelation to the raised letter or character 2. Since it is necessary tothoroughly insulate the tube from the metal of the sign as well as tomaintain the same in spaced relation to the letter or character, thetubular lamp 3 is mounted upon glass posts 4 secured in some mannerelther to the background or to the letter itself.

By referring to Figs. 2 and 3, it Will be observed that the letter orcharacter 2 is provided with a plurality of perforations 5, one of whichis provided at each of the points at which it is desired to support thetube 3. Alongside each of the perforations 5 a strap or lug 6 is securedto the rear surface of the letter 2 to provide a space between the strapand the letter for the reception of a tongue 7 constituting one leg of aZ-shaped letter support 8. The other leg 9 of the letter support 8 isillustrated as beingturned in the opposite direction and provided withan opening 10 through which a suitable securing device such as a screw11, may pass to engage the background mem:

her 1 and thereby secure the support 8 to the background member.

It will be observed that the arrangement of the legs? and 9 of thesupport 8 is such that when the leg 7 is inserted in the strap 6 the leg9 will be aligned with the opening or perforation 5 in the face of theplate 2 so that ready access to the screw 11 may be had without thenecessity of reaching behind the plate. may be manipulated driver whichmay through the plate 2.

Referring again to Fig. 3, it will be ob by means of a screwbe inserteddirectly In other words, the screw! 11 served that the vertical portionof the Z- shaped support 8 is provided with a pair of annularlyextending legs 12 arranged to surround and engage the cylindrical end ofthe glass neon tube support 4. The cylindrical portion of the neon tubesupport 4 also passes, through the perforation 5 so that when the sameis assembled upon the letter support 8 the lateral shifting of theletter, relative to the support 8, is prevented by engagement of theglass support with the sides of the perforation 5.;

The details of the glass support 4 and the manner in which it is engagedby the lugs 12 is clearly illustrated in the copending application ofRalph C. Hyde, Serial No. 450,589, filed May 7, 1930, which disclosesthe glass support arranged with a slot engaging the lugs 12 so that whenthe same is inserted in the lugs 12 and rotated to position to permitthe neon tube 8 to be tied, as by means of wire 13," to the head of theglass support, the glass support 4- is locked in the lugs 12 againstremoval.

It will be observed, therefore, that we have provided a support for aletter or character to be carried in spaced relation upon a backgroundand in which the support may be attached to both the letter and thebackground Without the necessity of providing openings in the backgroundor in the letter for the purpose of obtaining access to the at tachingdevices.

It will also be observed that the employment of the strap 6, secured tothe back of the letter 2, obviates the necessity of permanently securingthe support 8 to the letter and hence the letters with their strapsattached are relatively fiat and may be readily stacked in the warehousein compact relatlon.

While We have illustrated and described the preferred embodiment of ourinvention, We-do not desire to be limited to any of the details shown ordescribed herein, except as defined in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In a sign construction, a background member, a character comprisingsign indicia formed from a relatively flat plate of suitable material, aperforation in said plate 'a support secured to said plate having anopening therein for receiving means for attaching the support to thebackground, said opening being aligned with the perforation in saidplate, a tubular lamp for mounting on the exterior face of said plateand a support for said tubular lamp extending through said perforation.I

2. In a sign construction, a background member, a characterconstitutingsign indicia formed from a relatively fiat plate of-material, a supportfor securing saidplate to said background comprising I a substantiallyZ- shaped supporting element, means for atnear/see taching the top legof said Z-shaped support to said plate, attaching means passing throughthe other leg of said support, and a perforation in said plate alignedwith said to said plate, attaching means passing through the other legof said support, a perforation in said plate aligned with said attachingmeans for permitting access to said attaching means from the exterior ofsaid plate, a tubular light source for illuminating said plate, and aninsulating support for said light source and means on said plate supportfor engaging said insulating support to mount said lamp upon said plate.

4. In a sign construction, a background member, a character constitutingsign indicia formed from a relatively flat plate of material, a supportfor securing said plate to said background comprising a substantially Z-shaped supporting element, means for at taching the top leg of saidZ-shaped support to said plate, attaching means passing through theother leg of said support, and a perforation in said plate aligned withsaid attaching means for permitting access to said attaching means fromthe exterior of said plate, a tubular lamp for illuminating said plate,lugs formed on said support constituting an annulus aligned with theperforation in said plate, and an insulating support for said tubeextending through said perforation and engageable by said lugs.

5. In a sign construction, a background member, sign indicia comprisingcharacters formed from a relatively flat plate of material, means formounting said character in spaced relation upon said backgroundincluding a relatively'Z-shaped supporting element', a strap secured tothe rear of said character for receiving between the strap and thecharacter one of the outer legs of said 2- shaped support, means passingthrough the other leg of said Z-shaped support for attaching saidsupport to said background member, and a perforation through saidcharacter aligned with said other leg to permit access to said securingmeans through said character.

6. In a sign construction, a background -member, sign indicia comprisingcharacters formed from a relatively fiat plate of material, means formounting said character in spaced relation upon said backgroundincluding a relatively Z-shaped supporting element, a strap secured tothe rear of said character for receiving between the stra and thecharacter one of the outer legs 0 said 2- shaped support, means passingthrough the other leg of said Z-shaped support for attaching saidsupport to said background member, a perforation through said characteraligned with said other leg to permit access to said securing meansthrough said character, and a pair of lugs formed on the middle leg ofsaid Z-shaped sup ort and extending laterally therefrom to orm anannulus aligned with the perforation in said plate.

7. In a sign construction, a background member, sign indicia comprisingcharacters formed from a relatively flat plate of material, means formounting said character in spaced relation upon said backgroundincluding a relatively Z-shaped supporting element, a strap secured tothe rear of said character for receiving between the stra and thecharacter one of the outer legs 0 said 2- shaped supports, means passingthrough the other leg of said Z-shaped sup iort for attaching saidsupport to said ackground member, a perforation through said characteraligned with said other leg to permit access to said securin meansthrough said character, and means ormed on said support for engaging aninsulating support passing through said perforation, and a tubular lampsecured to said insulating sup ort.

Si ed at Los Angeles, alifornia, this 6th ay of June, 1931.

RALPH C. HYDE. JOHN T. NORTHGOTT. ELLIS O. ERICKSON.

